The purpose of digital screens is to attract the attention of people or potential customers towards your business. Design the content in such a way that it is immersive, engaging, and looks appealing enough to attract more customers. Creating or designing content for digital signage displays can be fun and artistic at the same time. Designing and display of the digital signage content over the screen allows you to experiment with the colors, texts, animations, graphics designs, arrangement, etc. The most important part of any digital signage is digital display content that imparts information along with designs and layout. Choose the best layouts, dimensions, and font sizes for your digital signage content display to make it look appealing and attractive to the eyes.
In the following blog, we shall focus on and discuss digital signage, digital signage content design, and tips or rules for designing digital signage content.
What is Digital Signage?
Electronic signage, known as digital signage, uses display technologies such as LED walls, LCD monitors, or projection to display websites, apps, videos, directions, restaurant menus, webpages, digital images, or marketing messages. The digital signage system delivers and displays content, including digital images and video streaming media. Edit and schedule information in the content management system (CMS). Businesses mostly use digital signage for advertising and marketing purposes to advertise their brands, which helps in increasing business revenue and profits.
The digital signage functions in different settings public spaces, sporting arenas, churches, retail stores, corporate spaces, restaurants, and academic buildings. Use digital signage to provide public information and convey internal communication or share product information. It is a very powerful way to influence customer decision-making and customer behavior. This shall enhance the customer experience through interactive digital display screens.
What is Digital Signage Content Design?
Digital signage is a type of electronic signage that displays messages, information, or any other content on a digital screen. A centrally controlled system for digital signage has a content distribution platform that distributes digital content to one or more screens or displays. The digital signage in itself is nothing without content and the success of any digital project depends upon the content. While ensuring brand consistency, the designs and animations can keep the digital screens engaging and informative.
Rules or Tips For Designing Digital Signage Content
Digital signage has the ultimate power to enhance business communication with your customers and employees. Use digital signage software and digital signage hardware to successfully deliver engaging content. Design the digital signage content in a way that is attention-grabbing, appealing, legible, and impactful.
Consider the following rules or tips while designing digital signage content:-
1. Digital Signage Ratios
Design digital screens or digital signage in the same ratio consistently. For any horizontal screen, this is a 16:9 ratio, and for a portrait screen, it’s a 9:16 ratio. When you design for a particular screen type you need to first check the size of the device and if it is already outside of a regular TV screen. The screen size depends upon the purpose it is going to serve in the long run and the type of needs of the clients it is going to cater to. First, identify the purpose behind designing the digital screens, and then decide on the screen dimensions. Design the screen specifically to ensure that the quality of the displayed content is not affected.
2. Digital Signage Display Resolution
“Display resolution” is considered to be very important and must be taken into account when trying to show content on the screens. This is referred to as how many pixels are shown on a screen and the more number of pixels depicts a better picture quality. The content should be fit for all three screens must be a 16:9 ratio. Consider the screen resolution as “high definition” based on the number of pixels present in the picture. It is never a good idea to display low-resolution images on your digital signage or digital screens and for other obvious reasons.
Here are the standard pixel dimensions for different types of screens:
1) 960 x 540 pixels – quarter HD
2) 1280 x 720 pixels – standard HD or “HD ready”
3) 1920 x 1080 pixels – full HD
4) 3840 x 2160 pixels – ultra HD
3. Use Clear Fonts And Text Size
Many digital signage display texts that are far too small to read and comprehend. Most of the digital signage should display texts that can be easily visible from a distance of 7-10 feet away. Use a 20-30 point font for texts that are easily visible from 7 feet away, and a 100 point font can be seen from 26 feet away.
4. Image File Size For Digital Signage
Consider the actual size of the file in addition to ratios and pixels. We tend to find that 2-3 MB is perfect for digital signage. The picture should be of high quality to be able to look great. Secure the Wi-Fi connection enough to support the file image and the required digital signage solutions to show digital content.
5. Use Image Overlays
The digital signage must use dark texts or overlay over any background images if you’re planning on using texts over it that help to contrast. Write white texts on dark-colored images or a dark background overlay to make texts stand out and noticeable even from a distance.
6. Choose Contrasting Colors
Using color palette or contrasting colors is very useful when trying to design digital signage content. The light colored texts are written on dark background and dark text is written on light background and such texts can be seen even from a distance. Digital signage must be shown using contrasting and attractive colors and texts must stand out against the background which makes it much easier.
7. Create Zones
The digital signage display can be a great way to maximize the space on-screen and display multiple pieces of content at the same time. In our zoning library, the series of zoning templates can help you determine how to split your screens into sections. The zoning rule states that one zone shall not play two videos at one time.
The zoning rules help to ensure that your zoned display is clear, transparent, and engaging at the same time. After testing hundreds of different formats and layouts, choose a particular layout or format.
8. Check Sound
Digital signage is not just screens that display texts but also play sound. The sound that is played on the TV screen can be used for live videos, news feeds, social media, YouTube, and video streaming. If you play content that requires sound that sound must be audible and secondly it must be suitable for the environment. Customize the app so that you can play your own playlist to an extent where the sound does not cause any risk.
9. Dwell Time Design Rules
The design of digital signage content must depend upon the viewing time of the videos or the duration of the content that you want to display. Use the guidelines to demonstrate how your content will be shown :
-Short-term viewing (30 seconds)
-Mid-term viewing (30 seconds-2 minutes)
-Long-term viewing (2 minutes – 30 minutes)
The content design and timing depend upon how long your visitor will be in view. In the offices where the view time is longer, you may want two 30-minute playlists on rotation, whereas in a shop window, you may just need a minute or two for the content to play in a loop.
Conclusion
When we look at things from the perspective of a customer about the implementation of the digital signage then the business can come up with a specific design of digital signage that can cater to the needs of all clients. Update highly engaging content on the screens to engage customers in the most effective way possible. Treat your digital screen with extra care, as it is another medium to market business advertisements. Update advertisements or marketing messages based on the type of media, play duration, messaging, and branding. You can choose to add, edit, or delete the content as it is highly flexible and scalable, and that highly depends upon the digital signage content design.
